As a helicopter rescue team lowered a team member down on a rope, a 22-year-old waded toward him on a surfboard, happy to see another human being.
The young man had been on that surfboard for the last 30 hours, stranded 13 miles (20 km) off the coast of Scotland, but he swam energetically toward the orange outfitted rescuer. The rescuer then hooked him in and strapped him up, as they prepared to ascend together into the sky and out of the water. The young man should soon get back to a normal life.
This strong surfing aficionado walked away with only a bit of hypothermia, and a story he can tell friends and family forever.